Up With Which We Will Not Put

[steepholm]

TV Programme: "By cooking the squid slowly and gently, it becomes tender."

Me, blustering: What? What becomes tender by cooking squid gently? Some mythical squid-cooking creature? Jeez!

Do you recognize this kind of exchange with the telly? Have you been party to it? I'm certain that I'm not alone.

I thought I had my blustering habit under control until I was watching some David Attenborough programme with my daughter the other night. Said DA:

"Despite their solitary reputation, polar bears can be surprisingly sociable."

I heard my voice cry: "No! It's not not despite their reputation, it's because of it! If they didn't have a reputation for being solitary, their sociability wouldn't be surprising!"

My daughter laughed, and yet I wonder whether she didn't think there was something excessive in my zeal.

Do I need help?

Comments

[karinmollberg.livejournal.com]

öh...ni tittade pà varandra; rolig? Eller; sàg ni rolig pà varann? (Ursäkta à:na mina, har inte hittat svenska-knappen pà den häringa franska sköteshunden;)
Isn't it rather 'in a funny way' or even 'funnily' -as in: roligt in Swedish which still makes minimal sense (and which again gives reason for dispute for leaving room for discussions on whereabouts the funny itself be placed, then; is it you or is it hanging on in thin air?) while I think, you meant to say something like 'with a funny expression on our faces' (though I'd simply say '...and smile') but maybe you do express humour and otherwise funky stuff differently in Viking Land nowadays, haven't been up there for a while now. Just wandering about...

[resident-pink.livejournal.com]

While formally incorrect, it's rather common in colloquial use. I guess I have just become so fully immersed in my second culture that some formal aspects of English have started to wear off.

I dare say no one else had any trouble understanding what I meant, and everyone else was polite enough not to point it out since "funny" is not the topic of discussion in this thread; but perhaps the concept of politeness is different where you live.

[karinmollberg.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear, I had no intention whatsoever of sounding impolite. I found it...funny, rather, as I am Swedish speaking too. Don't think I've ever seen it used that way, though so there's a first time to everything. Also, being German by birth if not nature (I grew up in Stockholm) I know the feeling of an old syntax lying heavily on one's tongue and must have missed its recent renewal in English. All said in the best of moods as I enjoyed this thread but, but, it is not the first time it has occured to me (at being told) how not everyone shares my sense of humour and now I know, then, one can talk about it that way, at least! Oh, and I almost forgot to mention how much I loved your Count Dracula analogy;)